Crystal Lynette Fulford (OTCDF)
Perham, MN – On Monday (August 5th), 63-year-old Crystal Lynette Fulford of Perham petitioned to plead guilty to Theft by Swindle for stealing cash from pull-tab profits over the course of at least a year.
According to court documents, an employee of a business that sold pull-tab informed Otter Tail County officials that Fulford had admitted to stealing cash from the pull-tab games.
Fulford was a runner for the company, so her job was to work with businesses that sold pull-tabs and electronic tabs (E-tabs) by exchanging out pull-tab games with new ones.
This involved collecting the cash profits and the used games, depositing the cash to the bank and turning in the used games to the gaming manager.
Fulford reportedly gave the other employee a handwritten list of 30 games that she had put in various establishment and had not deposited the cash profits or turned in the used games.
According to the list, Fulford had taken at least $37,487 in cash.
Following the report, the state gambling board conducted an audit that indicated that over $62,000 was missing from the pull-tabs and E-tabs across 2 locations.
When officers spoke with Fulford, she said that she would take from the pull-tab games with the intent on paying them back when she got paid, however she didn’t have enough money in her bank account, so she would take more.
She also said that she would hide the used games under her bed, since she never made the deposits on them.
Fulford’s official plea hearing is set for Friday (August 9th), with a sentencing hearing likely set after.